Scranton hires parking meter management firm

Scranton has hired a parking meter management company for a five-year term, council President Janet Evans said Thursday during the council meeting.

The city in recent days awarded a bid for parking meter management to the low bidder for the job, Republic Parking System of Chattanooga, Tenn., which a month ago had submitted a bid to do the work for $60,000 each year from 2013-2017.

Two other bids opened on May 6 included LAZ Parking, Hartford, Conn., for $80,338 in 2013 and increasing each year up to $90,421 in 2017; and Standard Parking of Chicago for $70,000 in 2013 and increasing each year up to $78,786 in 2017.

Republic is expected to start managing the meters in July, when it would take over for the current meter manager, Standard Parking, which has been managing the meters since January on a month-to-month basis, Mrs. Evans said.

Standard also is the firm that since Sept. 11 has been managing the Scranton Parking Authority's five parking garages, but that arrangement is separate with Standard hired by the receiver of SPA's estate, Mike Washo. Standard remains the operator of the parking garages.

A goal of the city had been to have one firm - Standard - manage both the garages and meters, and the city four months ago had been on the verge of hiring Standard to manage the meters for five years. But that plan fell apart when it was discovered that the proposed contract had erroneously stated the meter management had been bid out when it never had been, officials have said. The city then put meter management out to bid and now Republic has won the low bid out from under Standard Parking,

A plan for long-term meter management also was to have involved increasing parking meter rates, hours and days of operation, but all of that has been tabled since the former plan was scrapped.

Republic also will come into a situation in the city where another firm, Pango Mobile Parking of Baltimore, began on May 28 a 90-day trial period for a smartphone payment option for parking meters.

Meanwhile, as expected, council took no action on adopting a resolution accepting a recommendation from the city's Historical Architecture Review Board backing the University of Scranton's plan to raze and replace Leahy Hall. Part of that structure is the 1907 former YWCA building, and HARB recommended that recognition through exhibits of the building, the YWCA and its role in the city is appropriate.

The university plans to break ground this summer on a 111,500-square-foot, eight-story rehabilitation center on the southwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Linden Street. The $47.5 million center will replace Leahy Hall and provide space for the undergraduate and graduate programs in the departments of exercise science, occupational therapy and physical therapy. Demolition and construction are expected to begin this summer, pending approval from the city.

On May 30, after unanimously introducing the HARB resolution, council voted 3-2, with Mrs. Evans, and councilmen Frank Joyce and Jack Loscombe in favor and councilmen Bob McGoff and Pat Rogan opposed, to table the resolution to get clarification from HARB on its recommendation.

Though this resolution was not on council's agenda Thursday, the issue generated discussion from members of the council and public and a representative of the university. Council members essentially re-stated their positions: Mr. McGoff and Mr. Rogan had said there was no need to table the resolution; Mr. Loscombe said the zoning board - which is scheduled to hear on Wednesday a dimensional variance for a sight triangle encroachment from the university project - should vote on that variance before council votes on adopting the HARB resolution.

In other matters:

n Dismayed about a DPW worker getting a summary citation from police on May 31 for retail theft at Redner's Warehouse Market, Mr. Rogan asked that council submit a Right-to-Know request to the city administration to obtain the employee's timesheet work records. Mr. Rogan wants to know if the incident occurred while the employee, Anthony Giannone, 48, of Scranton, was on the city clock for his DPW job. Police had said Mr. Giannone put $10.55 worth of dog food and deodorant in his pocket, paid for other items, and then tried to walk out of the Seventh Avenue store around 1:40 p.m. This was Mr. Giannone's first offense, so he was given a summary citation for retail theft under $50 and released, police had said.

n Council voted 5-0 to introduce an ordinance to accept as a gift a small parking lot at the corner of Marion Street and Capouse Avenue. However, council members expressed reservations and concerns about this offer from FMP Realty LLC of Saginaw Street and won't advance it to adoption without first holding a public caucus and a hearing to learn from the firm why it wants to donate the land. Mr. Loscombe and Mr. Rogan said the lot would not be free for the city, because the city would incur liability and maintenance costs. Mr. Loscombe said he believed the lot had not been approved by the zoning board. Mr. McGoff asked if the donation was an attempt by the firm to not pay taxes on the parcel. Mrs. Evans suggested introducing the resolution and then later tabling it to first hold a caucus. A March 18 letter from FMP representative Chris Falzett to the city's Office of Economic and Community Development said the intent of transferring ownership to the city is that the city would be able to obtain grants to improve parking in this area. "It is believed by FMP Realty LLC that this would be in the best interest of the neighborhood and local merchants" in an area that needs revitalization, the letter said.

n Council voted 5-0 to introduce an ordinance to amend city rules on dispensing handicapped-parking signs. This change would create a handicapped parking sign renewal program within the police department. The goal is to remove from the list spots that no longer qualify for a handicapped parking space, and allow people on waiting lists to get such signs in a more timely manner, Mrs. Evans said.

n Resident Marie Schumacher asked about the status of an engineering study of Lake Scranton Road.

Mrs. Evans said the study is not completed, but since it began big truck traffic on the road "very coincidentally" subsided. This would skew results of the study, said Mrs. Evans, adding that it also makes her point that the trucks could use an alternate route because she believes they are not using Lake Scranton Road now during the study period. Council on March 28 adopted an ordinance authorizing an engineering study of Lake Scranton Road, where the city administration has chosen not to enforce a truck ban that had been enacted by the city in November. The truck ban was never enforced after DeNaples Auto Parts, which uses Lake Scranton Road as a link between Route 307 and the firm's access road at Elmhurst Boulevard, told the city in December that the truck ban would landlock the business and violate its rights.

n Council again took no action on changing rules for food trucks that operate in the city because legislation on the matter has not been completed.

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